Secrets For A Good Logo - 8.5 X 11

Written by Mrio Pertile Revision: Osmar Pertile English Translation: Raul Carvalho Copyright 2012 Mrio Pertile Secrets
s for a Good Logo What you need to know before hiring a designer. by Mrio Pertile is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.mariopertile.com.br.
The desire of knowledge is first stimulated in us when remarkable phenomena attract our attention. In order that this attention be continued, it is necessary that we should feel some interest in exercising it, and thus by degrees we become better acquainted with the object of our curiosity. During this process of observation we remark a first only a vast variety which presses indiscriminately on our view; We are forced to separate, to distinguish, and again to combine; By which means at last a certain order arises which admits of being surveyed with more or less satisfaction. Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von, 1749 - 1832 Theory of Colours Translated from the German by Charles Lock Eastlake, R.A., F.R.S
CONTENT
Thanks ...................................................................................... 1 Introduction.............................................................................. 2 But, what is all this for ?.......................................................... 2.1 First mistake: To mix demand and taste . . 2.2 Second mistake: To disregard a professionals opinion.... 2.3 Third mistake: To think little (That includes the price) 2.4 Fourth mistake: I need this for yesterday! ........................ 3 Concept..................................................................................... 4 Power of Synthesis.................................................................. 5 Applicability.............................................................................. 5.1 - Reduction........................................................................... 5.2 Ammount of colors............................................................ 5.3 - Various Materials............................................................... 5.4 Cost Reduction.................................................................. 6 Study of Colors........................................................................ 7 Study of letters......................................................................... 8 Presentation and Finishing..................................................... 9 Final notes................................................................................ 9.1 Do a good research........................................................... 9.2 Let it all clear..................................................................... 9.3 Make a contract!................................................................ 9.4 Be open ............................................................................ 1 3 4 4 4 6 8 10 13 15 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 24 24 24 25 25
10 Conclusion................................................................................ 26 11 About the Author . 27
THANKS
Despite all the writing Ive always done, this is the first time Ive decided to produce something official, in a virtual book format, and a few people must be mentioned in the thanks, not only for this work, but for being close in what concerns my professional life somehow. Viviane Becker, Osmar and Zuleika Pertile, for never getting tired of Reading my work. Raul Carvalho, Always willing to translate and review my texts. Hlder Silveira, Rafael Weiblen, Lauro Carvalho, Paulo Rocha, Fernanda Hecktheuer, Kell Lima, Bruno Wiener, Miyuki Takey, Chico Rigo, Geison Bresler and Ccero Esa, for Always being close, even when not literally. Joo Pedro Fleck for believing in unbelievable projects. Deise Veeck, Gilvan Andrade Teixeira and Jones Nunes, first people to encourage my writting when I didnt even write. To the cinephile friends, Renato Martins, Patrick Buzzacaro, Luiz Fernando Pedrazza and Hiron Goidanich (Goida) for the prompt attention. Carmen Volkmann, who twelve years ago, answered an email from a sixteen year old boy who told her he didnt know anything, but would like to work with advertising. The foreign friends, Juan M. Cuenca (Xtreme) and Miguel Botn (Waninkoko), from Spain, Estelle Tan from Singapore, James Chartrand from Canada, for believing my potential, in technology and in the work from distance, and for all those who in some way encourage me to keep working, writing and producing.
1 - INTRODUCTION
Lets begin with a clich: There isnt a recipe for a perfect logo. However, judgment and a few qualities, as much technical and subjective are crucial for a brand to stand in the market and reach its goal. In this e-book aimed for small and medium business with the need of creation or reformulation of its logo, Ill discourse about a few of these techniques, about what is needed to know and the knowledge you should have at the moment your company decides to hire a designer or an agency to develop your brand and what the managers should observe in the work of the hired professional. It will be much more productive to request this kind of service if you have some previous knowledge about the subject, because that will help you take the correct decisions, and most importantly: it will help you put on the paper the raw idea of your new brand, so that the professional can understand your need.
Secrets for a Good Logo What you need to know before hiring a designer | Mrio Pertile
2 BUT, WHAT IS ALL THIS FOR?

A logo isnt just a fancy drawing that your nephew whos good with computers can make. Your logo is the face that your company will show to the world, and the first contact that a potential customer will have with it. So, a series of aesthetic, technical and marketing precautions are needed, so that you can easily transmit your message and spark interest in those who your business is aimed to. In a simplistic hypothetical situation, lets say you own a toilet paper factory, a commodity that everybody needs for daily use, but the decision between two different brands is done around a very specific public. Imagine that you like automobile races and tuned cars. You really like the drawings, colors and formats of the car paintings, uniforms and logos of the racing teams. Outside the work, that is your world and what you really enjoy. Now imagine that someday you decide that your toilet paper company needs a new logo. A really outstanding image that will not be forgotten, that will outshine the others at the supermarket shelf, and so you decide to create your own logo, or pay someone to create it around your own liking and taste. 2.1 First mistake: To mix taste with Market demand. Unless you want the average housewife, maid or the very busy businesswoman who really cant spend that much time at the supermarket, to have the sensation of having their backsides burned when using your toilet paper, dont even think of using hot colors, flames and pointy forms that you see at the cars and you like so much. 2.2 Second mistake: To disregard a professionals opinion. Each skill must stay in its own field of activity. It doesnt matter how much knowledge of your business you have. The infinity of academic titles, master and doctor degrees, PHD and ages of experience with toilet paper fabrication, remember that youre hiring a professional with
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knowledge at the very specific area of creating your logo. When you go see a doctor and he prescribes a medicine for your health issue, you certainly dont go and doubt that professionals competence. You know he studied in order to offer that solution to you, and has plenty of experience with other cases alike your own. You cant just get there telling him what you have and demand a specific treatment for what you say you have. A doctor will examine you accordingly with his intellectual background and experience, and in certain cases based on previously requested tests, and will provide you a comprehensive feedback on whats going on with your health, and then prescribe the most appropriate medicine or treatment. Of course, its much cheaper and less stressful to guess, and medicate yourself at your own will. You just go to the drugstore and buy what you want, the way you want and take the risks. In Design, like any other service providing field, it Works the same way. It doesnt mean you cant or shouldnt give opinions or suggest ideas and modifications, no. On the contrary, you must! If you go to the doctor and dont tell him what the symptoms are, and if he doesnt ask for any tests, he will probably get it all wrong at the diagnosis. The work must be done together. Its not a game of Pictionary to see who guesses first. However, you must also respect the opinion and the suggestions of the hired professional, who has dedicated his academic life and his career to study and execute solutions for your problem. If you already know what you want, and your mind is made and reluctant to accept what is suggested by the professional, then you should go straight to the drugstore, I mean, to the express printing service, so theyll just make exactly what you want, the way you want. It will be much cheaper and way quicker. Of course, just like the selfmedication, youll end up having to face all the side effects, and in this case, were talking about the image of your company that goes outside, for everyone to see.
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2.3 Third mistake: To think little (that includes the price). Now, about the pricing, there isnt a fixed price chart for this kind of work. Actually, there are a few that should be used by art direction associations and even by advertisement agencies, but theyre hardly used due to its insanely high values, way outside the reach of small and medium sized companies. Like Ive said earlier, a logo isnt just a fancy drawing, but the very soul of your company, imbued of all technical and subjective aspects it must covey, all together in a simple, easy to understand symbol. Theres a huge intellectual and technical work before you can get to the final result. You must understand that the professional youve selected to perform this work has such technical knowledge and intellectual capability to process and solve the problem given, and also that this will take time and will have a cost with added profit, just like any other services. Designers also eat, pay the rent, the power, phone and internet bills, they also buy the hypothetical toilet paper from your company, and those bills wont just stop coming during the time the designer will be dedicating his time to your project. Designers (the good ones) must be constantly updated both technologically and culturally (which comprises their attendance to artistic and audiovisual presentations, cinema, expositions about all fields of work, so that they can be constantly on pair with all tendencies, in order to use that knowledge in their works. They must travel to absorb different cultures and experimentations, to know distinct publics and build an eclectic background of knowledge directed to the design field). All of that costs money and not just a little bit. Were talking about good designers who seek to improve their work regularly. Of course, theres also the kind of designer who just doesnt care, and will do exactly what you want, as quick as possible so that he can get your money and look for the next quick job. Its much likely that these will present you with a much more affordable price at first sight,
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but you need to know how to weigh cost and benefit, with the final result in your mind. I cant stress it too much: It is the face your company will show to the world. Were talking simple math here: Each designer will estimate his price accordingly with his monthly expenses, his cost of living to keep working, time spent dedicating to the job, intellectual process, physical (constant investing in hardware and tools), cultural background, and on top of all that, his profit. To further simplify the vision of the business, youre basically helping to pay for a part of the designers expenses on his day-to-day basis, so that he can devote some of his time exclusively to your company, without worrying about his personal problems. Youre paying a slice of the costs that professional has in order to remain active, working and thinking, and adding the profit he expects to earn according to his experience. If its still somehow difficult to grasp, we can try the following mathematic formula:
TIME SPENT + INVESTMENT/INTELLECTUAL BACKGROUND + BASIC SURVIVAL EXPENSES DURING THE WORK + PROFIT = FINAL VALUE OF THE JOB
Of course, like in all branches of business, there are crooks that, depending on the situation, will try and take advantage of that estimate,
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and possibly will offer an insane value, not on par with reality, and without even having the required technical and intellectual capability in order to offer qualified work. Just like an overpriced construction work, or a mechanic who takes advantage of the cars owner because he doesnt understand anything on how a car works, and the list goes on. Theres really a lot of swindlers at almost any fields. Whats recommended here is judgment to research about the past of the designer, his successfully finished jobs, visual style of his finished pieces of art, all that so you can evaluate whats best, within the range of your budget and the intended quality of the work. 2.4 Fourth mistake: I need this for yesterday! About the term, its relative. Something that you should really try to understand before hiring someone to develop your companys logo, which is an implicit rule to almost every service: Quick, Good and Cheap. These three words will almost never share the same sentence. Take it seriously, all of the three isnt really an option here. Theres a very serious logic that says that only two of these options can be together in the same plane of thinking. It is up to you to understand that before asking for a designers services. It works somehow like this: ( ) Good and Cheap Will take much longer than it would normally.
Reasons: In order to develop a good logo, unless the designer has some sort of epiphany and shouts Eureka! Heres the solution!, he will take some time. Its necessary to study the clients market, test forms and colors, seek elements within that field that can incite the need on the public, and many other factors that, yes, will take time. However, like its been said, that designers bills wont stop coming, and if you bargain to lower the presented price (sometimes by a huge bit), he will not dedicate an exclusive and constant attention to your project. Its some obvious logic. He will need to dedicate himself to other parallel works, or even leave yours aside sometimes, so he can
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overcome his costs. So, in order to finish your project having to meet good and cheap requirements, he will take longer than he would normally. ( ) Good and Quick It will cost more than it would normally.
Reasons: The obviousness of the reasoning above applies inversely here. If you desire a good project in an extremely tight schedule, the designer will need to let everything aside (including his personal life, his leisure time, study time or rest, going much beyond the conventional business time) in order to compensate for the usual time he would need to develop a good logo. Its just like a taxis night shift. As the taxi driver is working in an out-of-business time just because you need to get home safely at 4 am, the designer will also need to be up and dedicated to studying your logo. Now lets suppose hed be working in a company, he would certainly having overtime earnings, like any other professional. Your urgent project will come first at the list of priorities, ahead of other as much important ones that will demand reallocation and will end up piling. Nothing more fair than that. ( ) Quick and Cheap Would you like an apple pie with that?
Reasons: If someone puts an order to your hypothetical toilet paper factory for a lot in half the time you would need to deliver, for half the price youd charge, Im most sure that the people who use it will certainly feel the consequences in their skin. So, unless you hit the jackpot and find a good designer with his life already earned, who see in your project something that he would like to have in his portfolio, a quick and cheap logo is out of question. For that purpose, lets go back to the point of the medical appointment and self-medication. If youre only looking for a good price and wants it for yesterday, you should definitely look for a specialized bureau that will give you a logo in the same day, and charge accordingly.
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3 - CONCEPT
The concept is maybe, of the subjective stages, the most important one when creating a logo. Its the beginning of everything, where the first sketches of your brand will come to life. The ultimate goal of a logo is to synthesize the concept of a brand in simple lines. That concept can be more comprehensive, like a combination of characteristics, adjectives or physical aspects of the product or service. It can also be more specific like the representation of an object, some element giving it a double sense or even the subversion of an objective sense to another, similar or even opposite sense. This job can be also appointed to the selected designer, in case you dont have any clues on what you wish, or when a market and consume research hasnt been done to know what your clients crave for when choosing a product in your category. However, its always good to have spent some thought on the subject before hiring someone to develop your logo. A good exercise to come to an idea of what your brand should pass objectively to the consumer is trying to relate in two columns, both objective and subjective characteristics of your product or service. It wont lead to a conclusive solution but it will help you on the beginning of the conceiving of your concept, and its a good starting point to get in the subject. Lets use as an example that hypothetical toilet paper factory of yours on Image 1:
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Now lets find a relation between objective and subjective characteristics, according to Image 2:
We get to a few interesting results that may serve as a starting point for the concept in a brand. This example is, of course, a very simplistic one within all possibilities that we can find when associating the ideas. Like its been said above, its just an illustrative model for a starting point. As associations, we find Smooth and Clouds, Double sheet and Rainbow, Recycled paper and Environment, Flower fragrance and Garden. We can discourse about a huge gamut of concepts relative to the options found within all those associations, and depending on the differentials of your product over the competition (smoother, recycled
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paper, fragrance or number of sheets), it is possible to highlight one of the combinations and work more over that specialty. For instance, if we combine smooth with clouds, well get the idea of voluptuous forms, light colors, big letters, cotton forms. While the combination of double sheets and rainbow points to various colored layers. Recycled paper and environment, they bring the idea of plants and tree leaves. Lastly, flower fragrance and garden remind of sweet or citric colors like magenta, pink, yellow and floral graphics. All that is just a primary superficial analysis, just for the sake of illustrating whats been explained. This little exercise alone, with the differentials to be highlighted being already defined, should be valuable for a designer to start thinking about your logo, in case you dont have any idea on how to pass the ideas you need. The ideal, though, is that you use up all the associations possible, choose what best translates the spirit of your new brand, and start over with the new unique idea. The longer you spend at this stage, the best the idea you pass on to the designer will be, and higher will be the chances of a successful final result. The important is that your brand have a unique concept, simple yet capable of communicating the differentials of your product or service, and not just a fancy drawing in the market. That logo will also measure all the creative process over the future pieces, like office material, papers, ads, catalogues, etc. When you know where you want to get, the way is always much shorter.
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4 - POWER OF SYNTHESIS
As we already know, a logo is composite of a symbol and a set of letters (sometimes only the letters, or even just the symbol with the letters built in it), that together form the graphic identity of your business in the market. The consumer looks at your logo for a very short time, that being on an billboard, a flyer or at the front of your company. Maybe the place where your logo will be more close to the consumers eyes is the website, but even then, he wont be the focus of the visit, but just content being shown. So, we take it that a good logo must firstly have a great power of synthesis, telling the position, the moral and marketing values of your company in its symbol, as well as the business style it intends to follow, in only a few seconds. It is necessary then, that the symbol in your logo be simple. Be careful not to confuse simplicity with lack of aesthetical care. Simplicity here concerns the format, number of ideas and elements being shown. The power of synthesis itself. Lets get for instance the example shown at Image 2. We cant just take all those combinations, elements and concepts and squeeze them in just one only logo. Well, I suppose you could, actually. But it doesnt matter how good the designer is and how beautiful the logo would look. It would be nothing but a huge orgy of visual information. Your company must know what it wants to communicate, what image it wants to show and be sure about all that. A big show of multifaceted ideas wont help your consumer to understand what you want to tell in a few seconds while the bus drives by the billboard, when get puts his hand in your flyer or when visiting your website along with many other tabs open. The simpler your logo is, easier and quicker it will be for the consumer to assimilate the ideal of your company, and longer it will be fixed in the mind of your client. So, have this in mind: Dont try to put everything youve learned about your market in your logo. Define a
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concept and with the help of your designer, synthesize that to the simplest form possible. If you dont know how, he will.
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5 - APPLICABILITY
This matter is extremely dependent on the power of synthesis. Your logo must be applicable, that is unquestionable. You will use your logo in an endless number of materials of many sizes, with different number of colors, textures and for specific purposes. It needs to be functional in every single one of them, without distortion and without loss of identity. Dont even think of reducing it until it fits, until you can no longer read it or change the colors any way you want. You must observe some crucial technical matters so your logo can keep its integrity in any size, any specific color necessity or applied texture. That way youll avoid unnecessary headaches and loss of money with unnecessary production. The designer knows that, but it doesnt hurt to get acquainted with these matters and watch closely to know what you should expect at the final result. 5.1 - Reduction. When you get your hands on the first presentations of your logo with symbol, company name and slogan in A3, A4 or even by e-mail, it will be all fancy and showy, and also well readable. If the designer has done a good visual job, youll be delighted with the proposed options, and youll start imagining that logo at the front of your company, on the side of your car or fleet, printed on that big billboard youve been negotiating. But wait: What youre seeing is an enlarged version of the design. The same logo youre now painting fancy on the front of the company, 20 feet wide and 6 feet tall must be also readable on that little corner in your business card, on the super modern pen youre thinking of giving away as a gift for your providers and salesman, or whatever else we can think of, I dont know, maybe a tie clip. Any presents or materials youre going to produce must hold your brand. A good logo, technically speaking, will never lose its readability. That font type certainly looks good on the paper, but will it look readable when reduced to an inch on
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your business card? That little detail on the right corner, will it look good when reduced to a small scale? Or will it just look more like a printing error, a stain or a blur? For this and other reasons, reduction is extremely dependent on the power of synthesis. Try leaving on the logo only whats really important in order to communicate the idea in a clean and attractive manner, leaving excesses aside, always opting for readability on the most diverse formats. A good designer will foresee all that and present you with all these size variations, letting you know whats the highest resolution it supports and how it will behave in case you need variations in its configuration. If he doesnt, demand it. What you need is a logo that will work as well in a gas balloon or a festive brooch. Also, keep in mind that the more elements in a logo, the worst its reduction will work. 5.2 Number of Colors. The objective of this item isnt going through the merit of the printing techniques, but give a basic understanding of how the application of colors works in the graphic universe. For some, it may sound obvious, but not so for others. The more different colors your logo has, more expensive the graphic materials will be to produce. Suppose your logo has six totally different colors, because you reckon that the more colorful, more outstanding your product will be. Well, when youre going to reproduce your logo in a flyer, you wont have an options but to print it in full color, that will be more expensive. When you need to print material in one color, like a letterhead for instance, or even a photocopy, your logo will be disfigured. Yes, it is possible that the designer will produce variations for this kind of situation, however, for one color prints, each different color in your logo will need to be represented by a different tone in the same color youre printing it. That means, the more colors your logo have, more difficult
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and problematic the adaptation to color reduction will be, and the risk of mischaracterization will be greater. You may have to produce materials with silkscreen, embroidery or other kinds of printing, where you pay for each added color, and that means it will cost more, and have more risk of not turning out to be what you wanted. Another problem is when you need to work with different materials, such as door plates (usually made in wood or metal), stickers or any kind of carved material. Even when the adaptation is well made, the format of your logo will be misrepresented. In the case of reproduction without, what counts is the format, and for each color in the original logo, it will need to have a different outline in the carving. Simplicity here is very important also, so, the most indicated both visually and technically is using only the colors needed in order to communicate what you want to. Unless the concept does require an infinity of colors and youre willing to pay for high printing costs, choose a main color and, if needed, a second one for details. Or even just one color accompanied of a different tone of that same color to highlight when needed. That way, youll be reducing future costs and will end up with a brand of easy applicability on many different textures and materials. Oh, and I must remind you that your logo needs to work in both dark and clear backgrounds. 5.3 Various Materials. The concern about applicability, reduction and number of colors doesnt apply only to reproduction of your logo on paper. You need to foresee that along your entrepreneur journey, youll be faced with the most diverse kinds of applicability necessities. Paper, cloth, wood, metal, plastic, canvas, theyre just a few examples of raw materials used when making promotional materials. There are also variants like light projection, special blades (as in die cut flyers or billboard fixtures), paint
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absorption (There are some kinds of printings where the paint is more absorbed by the paper, and that may change the colors by a certain amount), among others. The important thing is that your logo can be applied to as many different materials as possible, without being mischaracterized. For that reason optimized color choice, simple forms and legible letters are essential. 5.4 Cost Reduction. Nobody wants to throw money away. It doesnt matter how well the company is doing, cost reduction will always be a fundamental maxim, and usually, the department responsible for the promotional material is one of the most affected by that. For that reason, once the decision is made about your new logo, its necessary that some low-cost versions of it are made. For instance, theres absolutely no need for printing a memo for the employees with all colors, or reproducing colored copies just so that the logo isnt mischaracterized. More than often, its necessary to produce some not so important materials like one color flyers in a lighter weight, or silkscreen printed accessories. For that reason, it doesnt matter how many colors are in the original configuration of the logo. It is necessary to produce a low quality version, optimized for those kinds of situations. It must be optimized to get visually as close as it can to the optimal version.
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6 STUDY OF COLORS
Colors directly affect our nervous system, as theyre perceptions produced by our brain translated from the information sent by our eyes. Nothing around us does actually have a color. This phenomenon is caused by the action of a beam of photons over specialized cells in the retina, which transmit impressions to the nervous system, allowing to differentiate the objects in space more precisely. (1) The color of an object is determined by the average frequency of wave packets reflected by the constituent molecules. An object will have a given color when it doesnt absorb precisely the matching frequency of rays for that color. So, an object is red if it does absorb preferentially the frequencies outside the red. (2) In short, the perception of colors is an internal rendering by the brain, from information sent by the eyes related to external physical manifestations. Having making that clear, the influence of colors of a brand on peoples subconsciousness becomes obvious. The colors instigate feelings and intrinsic, subliminal sensations. Depending on your choice, your target consumer may be attracted or repelled without even noticing. We can speak of the primary colors (Red, Green and Blue) in a very simplistic form just for the sake of example. Colors such as cyan, blue and their derivatives lead to imaginary environments with tranquility, safety and comfort zones. They bring the sensation of respect and trust. Red and derivatives however, lead to agitation, movement and physical effervescence. Green on the other hand is related to the search for health and to the environment. But beyond the physical and psychological subconscious interpretations, were overloaded since kids with chromatic conventions,
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as for instance, the red color in cases of danger, attention, lack of money, life-threatening situations and traffic signs. Unless strictly necessary for a very specific reason, it wouldnt be wise to use the red as main color for a brand related to traffic, as in machine shops, gas stations or car brands, nor it would be wise to use red for a money related institution. A good designer must have the knowledge about the theory of colors and its applications, and you dont need to become an expert in the matter in order to deal with it. All you should know is that the colors do have an influence on what your brand will communicate to its public, and unless you have a very reasonable and very specific need to use a certain color, you should let that study in the hands of the hired professional, never forgetting to inquire about his choices, for a better understanding of the work being done.
(1) Cor: Fenmeno tico - http://www.ufpa.br/dicas/htm/htm-cor4.htm - Visited in 05.02.2012 (2) Wikipedia - http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor - Visited in 05.02.2012
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7 - STUDY OF LETTERS
The fonts speak, they transmit ideas and sensations. The typographic study for the creation of a logo must take in consideration the readability, the concept of the brand and the intended aesthetic appeal, considering whats necessary to transmit with that logo. For instance, if you wish for a more contemporary and modern feeling , sans-serif fonts are more adequate than serif, more elaborated ones, which send back to older times. If you want a smoothness feeling, you shouldnt use pointy outlines and vice-versa. Just like in colors, you shouldnt be an expert, but only understand enough to know that even though you like some font a lot, or because that font means something personal to you, it isnt necessarily the ideal font to set the writings on your brand. The ideal would be, just like with the colors, to leave the choice of the font family to the designer, always paying attention to his explanation according the concept that your brand must speak of.
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8 PRESENTATION AND FINISHING

Theres a relatively lasting process between the first meeting with the designer and the approval that precedes the delivery of the finalized files. During this process, the designer will present you with the suggestions and for that there isnt a pattern or guideline to follow. He could show you one or twenty suggestions, depending on his usual way of working, the pace of the job, the needs he will face, the solutions hell find and the agreement hell have made with you prior to the beginning. Thats why it is important to make it very clear how many alternatives youd like to get, before even signing a contract with a designer. It is an intimate situation that must be treated as a case by case scenario, both designer and client wise. But lets say your designer has presented you with three suggestions according to everything thats been discussed in this e-book. The ideal situation is that he will also send a defense to each one of the choices. A defense is a set of text or images explaining how and why the designer has chosen that solution, so that you can analyze and visualize if whats been done is in par with your needs. There isnt a guideline for this presentation either. It can be a plain text, a slide show with references, a study of the competition, telling the reasoning of the choices made. Each designer has his own form of presentation. Lets say youve chosen an option and asked for a few alterations. Once theyre done, the designer will send you the final version for approval. Suppose that it pleases you and the logo is finally ready and approved. Now its very important that the designer present to you, even before the approval, the maximum reduction version, and both one color and low-resolution versions applied on dark and light backgrounds, so that you can have a clear view on how your logo will work overall. When all that is set, you cannot just receive a .JPG file with your new logo. And again, there isnt a predefined standard kit that the designer
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must send to you. What Im about to describe is a list of the least you should expect / demand from your designer upon finishing the job. That way you wont be dependent on him in any ways when everything is finally done. No favors, no handouts needed at all. Its relevant to say again that all this must be agreed on and set in a contract before the process of production starts, so there can be no quarrels: Preferential logo finished in vector file Vector file (the most common types are .AI, .CDR) is a kind of file that wont suffer any distortion when resized by any scale. Its size can be increased or decreased whenever it is needed, and its the file youll be using to produce any other pieces. It is also the file that youll send to other designers, graphic services or advertisement agencies for application on multiple graphic or digital materials. Preferential logo in high resolution, no background Preferentially .PSD or .PNG One color logo finished in vector format One color logo in high resolution, no background Preferentially .PSD or .PNG Preferential logo in .JPG for general use Color references You must request the references for all colors used in the making of the logo for future productions. The designer must send you all colors in CMYK (for printing reproduction), RGB (digital reproduction) and Hexadecimal (web) formats. Font Family You must request the used fonts and the suggested references for texts.
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9 FINAL NOTES
For the whole process to run smoothly, like any other services, its necessary to clarify everything before the job starts, so that neither of the parts have any surprises during the development of the work and the production of your logo doesnt turn into an endless headache. Heres some tips to make everything run nicely. 9.1 Do a good research. Just like when you hire any other services, you must research the market well. The best way to do that is by looking for indication from people who have already worked with someone, and that were pleased with the results. If you dont happen to have any available, research the internet for portfolios and specialized websites, and dont be afraid to go beyond your area. Dont forget that the technology is there to be used. With things such as Skype, Instant messaging, e-mail and other communication tools, and even payment services like Paypal, you shouldnt be restricted to meeting face to face with your designer. I speak with the experience of having worked that way and successfully delivered jobs for clients very far abroad, such as in Spain and Singapore without any issues at all. If you must, agree on the times you can contact each other and the times in which the work will be done, as well as the ways it will be accessible on those times. When you finally find a designer, research his portfolio and seek references from companies for which he has worked, and if at all possible, contact them to know how the job went. That will make you more comfortable about his character and way of working, and allow you to know if his graphic style fits in what you need. 9.2 Let it all clear. As soon as you decide to contact the chosen designer, explain everything just like you would do to a psychiatrist, just only not for you
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but for your company. Anything that looks irrelevant for you may be actually the key for the designer to find the solution to your logo. Speak of the routine of the company, the kinds of clients it answers, the public you want to reach. The good designer is hungry for all information and the more youre able to feed him with it, the more material he will have to study. To solve all doubts about the his job is also important. Dont be ashamed if you dont understand of the subject. If you did, you wouldnt need to be hiring anybody in the first place. Ask everything you find necessary. That being about the job, about the procedures, payment, contract, etc. Oh, and speaking of contract 9.3 Make a contract! Its likely that the designer will already have a contract model from previous jobs, so ask him to send it to you. If he doesnt, make one with every detail of whats been discussed and agreed. Make sure to include everything that will be delivered at the end of the job. If any disagreements arise, it will be the contract that will set the discussion. 9.4 Be open. Like Ive told you at the beginning of this e-book, youre hiring a qualified professional that understands of the matter, so even if your mind is made over what you want, be open to the suggestions that professional will give you. You may have a vast experience on your field, but so does he. It is his work that is being hired. Remember: Its teamwork.
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10 - CONCLUSION
This e-book had the goal to enlighten the basics of what a businessman should know when looking for a designer to create a logo for his company. As you can see, a logo isnt just a fancy drawing that you can put in your business card and show around. This document is only but the tip of a huge iceberg full of information that someday Ill bring afloat more specifically. For now you already know the guidelines for the creation of your logo to run smoothly in a solid and healthy process, with a minimum of problems and most of your participation. I hope sincerely to have helped you solve your doubts and encouraged the search for a bigger understanding of the subject. I thank you for your attention and for spending time reading this e-book. If you can, please share the knowledge, tell your friends on Twitter, Facebook or by email. Its free . If you liked this e-book, please consider to make a 1$ donation to pay me a coffee. The donation link is found in www.mariopertile.com.br/secrets
Please send your comments by email on ebooks@mariopertile.com.br You can like the e-book page on Facebook too! www.facebook.com/SegredosparaUmBomLogotipo
Wrtten by Mrio Pertile Revision: Osmar Pertile Translated to English: Raul Carvalho
Copyright 2012 Mrio Pertile Secrets for a Good Logo What you need to know before hiring a designer. by Mrio Pertile is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.mariopertile.com.br.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mrio Pertile is an advertiser, art director and movie critic. Graduated at ESPM/Poa School of Creation, hes been working with design and advertising for over ten years, in which hes been in many agencies and led a vast number of design, art direction and planning projects. Aside from advertising, he records podcasts, writes about cinema, independent music and market for innumerous websites and blogs. As of today, he works as a free-lancer for agencies, studios and clients all over the world, and also signs the art direction jobs of his own creation studio. To know more about Mrio Pertile or to reach him, visit: www.mariopertile.com.br
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Written by Mrio Pertile Revision: Osmar Pertile English Translation: Raul Carvalho Copyright 2012 Mrio Pertile Secrets

10 Conclusion................................................................................ 26 11 About the Author . 27

2 BUT, WHAT IS ALL THIS FOR?

8 PRESENTATION AND FINISHING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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